1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to improvements in the monitoring, tracking, recording, updating and feedback of physical exercise related information based on sensing of weight stack elements in physical conditioning devices and exercise systems.
2. The Prior Art
Exercise programs for the development, maintenance or rehabilitation of human muscles through exercise have been long in use. One element of an exercise and rehabilitation program involves the use of fitness machines to impose varying loads on human muscles to stimulate them towards further development or rehabilitation.
Many different types of fitness machines are known. They differ depending on the means for providing the required varying loads on human muscles. The load varying function is performed in the prior art by machines comprising such resistance devices as springs and, more popularly, pulleys and weights. Among the machines using pulleys and weights, weight stack based fitness machines are well known. They provide resistance to motion of various human muscles by using the force of gravity as reflected in the weight stack. The amount of force chosen by the user for exercise purposes is determined by the number of weight plates selected from the weight stack. Typically the selection of the weight to be used for exercise purposes is made by inserting an engagement pin determinative of the number of weight plates to be lifted.
While weight stack machines are popular because of their ease of use, good biomechanics, and wide availability, they are limited in that feedback information required to optimize an exercise regimen is not conveniently available at or in the proximity of the machine from one exercise session to another. Feedback information about progress during a multi-session exercise program is generally desirable as it facilitates the use of the fitness machine by helping to insure correct, safe form, improving staff interaction, and making the activity psychologically rewarding. As this level of psychological reward is increased, so is the likelihood of continued utilization of the machine. The feedback required to assure a safe, psychologically satisfying, and physically useful exercise typically consists of tracking of aggregate weight lifting progress, monitoring of the full range of motion, monitoring lifting at the proper rate, increasing weight based on previous weight lifting success, exercising various muscle groups in an instructor determined order, and providing machine settings for each individual user.
Conversely, lack of feedback hampers the efficient performance of a long term exercise regimen. Currently, the general means for generating feedback to the user is by forcing on the user the arduous accounting task of manual data entry and subsequent recall of weight machine settings and weight progression sequences necessary for optimum physical development. Performing this accounting task, or avoiding it completely, increases the frustration and decreases the rewards associated with using a fitness machine and therefore impedes the motivation for continuing a beneficial physical exercise program.
Yet another limitation of the present manual feedback system is that manually generated records do not lend themselves readily to creating graphs depicting historical data in an easy to comprehend format nor reports to inform the user of his progress, nor can incentives be conveniently built into a manual feedback system.
It is therefore an object of this invention to simplify or eliminate the accounting task generally associated with a physical exercise program conducted on weight stack machines.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for sensing and displaying individual exercise related parameters such as, for example, weight, weight range of motion, rate of lift, and number of weight lift repetitions, that can be retrofit or originally installed on exercise equipment using weight stacks.
Yet another object of the present invention is to capture and report exercise related parameters to a central location for storage and subsequent feedback to the user or physical exercise professional.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a display in the proximity of a weight stack machine to timely inform the user of the specifically optimized personal settings of the machine, such as seat settings, number of repetitions, number of sets, and number of weights to be used for an exercise program tailored to a particular individual as well as other related exercise data.
These together with other objects and advantages of the invention which will be subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.